Tags
We celebrated Valentine’s Day yesterday and chances are that in the last month consumers were engaged in ads on TV, radio, digital and mobile spreading the word that on Valentine’s Day everyone should be celebrating with someone and exchanging tokens of love.
According to some Valentine’s stats, people spent $13.19 billion celebrating love.
What is more interesting is the fact that many people will go to extremes to make sure they are not alone for Valentine’s Day. A blog by Jasmine Garsd on the npr.org site talks about a service called “Invisible Boyfriend / Girlfriend” where people can create their perfect match for a fee. As it can be imagined, the purchaser builds the looks, interests and hobbies of the invisible partner.
Then there is the implication that love is the same as sex. Non-profit organizations like iwannaknow.org have dedicated sites like Love vs.Sex just to make sure teenagers and young adults know the difference and do not fall into a trap where “making love” is considered what “love” is all about.
What Love Is NOT: 11 Truths I Want My Sons to Know on Valentine’s Day
And since nobody really knows when love will strike, scientists like Dr Aron from UC Berkeley are trying to re-create Love in a Lab
No. 37: Big Wedding or Small? – Quiz: The 36 Questions That Lead to Love
As I was reading all these articles, I couldn’t help but wonder, where did the love go? The real Love that is blind and doesn’t care about looks, the real love that transcends traditions, the real love that is unconditional, the real love that makes you feel you’re walking on a cloud, the real love that is a spiritual experience. Are we looking in the right places to find love? Or are we calling “love” something that doesn’t even come close to it?
“My favorite love advice is ‘Choose what you love. Love what you choose.’ I think the best way to find…” http://t.co/B6n8FrCcZz
— J (@MacroPity) February 16, 2015
Regardless of religious background or spiritual beliefs, all human beings recognize that we were all made to love and to be loved. For starters, the second we are conceived is supposed to be a union of love, between the sparkle of life and us. A promise of life sealed in a miracle that we are very special. As we continue to grow, we encounter many forms of love from parents, siblings, children, friends but none comes as close to the day of conception as when we fall in love and give ourselves as a demonstration of our devotion and affection to another human being. Letting these emotions lose as if your body was infused with electricity is one of the most amazing spiritual experiences when we open up to trust, to believe, to embrace life, to dream, to feel, to see what we couldn’t see before, to walk the impossible. This spiritual experience that transforms us into a new person and takes us to the highest mountain is what I would like to honor today because is the essence that bring us life and hope and happiness and peace. This experience doesn’t come for free; the price is to become vulnerable. If today you would like to remember what is like to open up to love and regain the courage to let it in, I leave you to a series of inspirational quotes that will not disappoint you. And remember, the sparkle of life doesn’t necessarily come in the boyfriend/girlfriend package. That Light comes from within and fills you up when you allow yourself to love all those parts of you that you dislike and when you love and forgive that pesky person who breaks all your boundaries. Happy Loving Day! Quotes from FaceBook page Brain Pickings – inspirational and grounded thoughts.
For a sweet vintage-inspired Valentine’s Day treat, the Peanuts gang defines love: http://t.co/14z4ROv5np pic.twitter.com/Z4JPshOkwu — Maria Popova (@brainpicker) February 15, 2015
For Valentine’s Day, the most beautiful and true definition of love, courtesy of Tom Stoppard: http://t.co/SUKDnTWRCx pic.twitter.com/DKMwCnF8AQ
— Maria Popova (@brainpicker) February 14, 2015
A Course in Miracles is an inspirational site that talks about true love and true spirituality
“…lay judgment down, not with regret but with a sigh of gratitude. Now are you free…”-A Course in Miracles #MiracleShare #ACIM — A Course in Miracles (@eCourseMiracles) February 15, 2015
I love the posts of Monica Berg because she is constantly reminding us to let the light in in order to love ourselves and others
When we care for one person, we change their life and thereby change the world.
— monica berg (@monicaberg74) February 10, 2015
Be mindful of the areas where you lack compassion. Make it a point to treat everyone, especially your loved ones, with care and respect. — monica berg (@monicaberg74) February 9, 2015